


Get Well Soon

by Ana (Anafandom)



Series: Tony Stark Is Not Alone [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Civil War Team Iron Man, Gen, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Social Media, Tony Stark Gets a Hug, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, not team Cap friendly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:22:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24911551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anafandom/pseuds/Ana
Summary: After coming back from Siberia, Tony is ready to quit. But he’s not as alone as he thought he was, and he gets a much needed reminder of it to get his head back in the game. And this time the kid gloves are coming off.
Series: Tony Stark Is Not Alone [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1831903
Comments: 200
Kudos: 1685
Collections: Post-Civil War Media Fallout (Team Iron Man), Social Media Fics, Team Iron Man/Anti Steve, Tony Stark Defense Squad I, Tony Stark deserves more, superhero tingz





	Get Well Soon

**Author's Note:**

> So I sat down to write something short and fluffy, and this happened instead.
> 
> Sort of a fill for a prompt by Holmesz (for The Days of Reckoning Are Upon Us). It didn’t really fit there, so I made it a separate oneshot.

Tony woke up in the hospital, and the first thing he did was ask to be released. The doctors – as well as Pepper and Rhodey (through video since he was still in Europe) – tried to talk him out of it, but Tony remained firm. He cited security issues and he fact that he could hire full-time nurses to oversee his care at home, and buy whatever medical equipment was necessary. Reluctantly, the hospital staff agreed, though he had to sign a whole lot of papers about being discharged against medical advice.

Whatever, he thought. He just wanted to be home.

He wanted to lick his wounds in private and not have to think about anything for a while.

Rogers’s betrayal had cut deep. Tony didn’t think he could be affected like this anymore, not after Obie, but here it was. Once again, he had been completely blindsided. He’d thought Rogers was a good guy, a decent guy. Sure, they argued on occasion, and there were times Tony thought the man was a naïve fool (and times when he’d wanted to slap the guy), but… This was something else. This was… too much.

Tony was tired. Dead tired. Tired of bending himself into a pretzel to do everything that needed to be done and never getting either thanks or even any recognition for any of it. Tired of being the scapegoat for everything that went wrong. Tired of shouting himself hoarse and never being heard. Tired of being the only one who seemed to actually see what was happening, what was coming. Tired of fighting a dozen battles at once, both against enemies and his supposed allies. Tired of lies and hypocrisy and betrayal. Tired of… everything.

He was done. Just… done.

He’d done his best, year after year, since coming back from Afghanistan, and it hadn’t been enough. What else could he do? What else was he supposed to do all by himself? He’d thought that he had the Avengers, but that had been a lie. He should have seen it, he really should. The signs were all there, and yet… Maybe _he_ was the naïve fool after all.

So, yeah. Enough. Everything he’d done, and what he did have to show for it? A nearly crushed sternum, a paralyzed best friend, a bunch of new nightmares, a lot of pain and grief, anger and despair. Murdered parents and a team that had imploded spectacularly. It was all pointless.

It was time to admit it. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t save the world. No matter what he did, it would never be enough, and he didn’t have it in him to go another round. Not like this.

Let someone else deal with it. Maybe they’d do a better job. Maybe they’d succeed where Tony had utterly failed. There was only so much a person could do, even a billionaire would-be hero.

Several days went by. Pepper visited every day, but Tony barely acknowledged her. He pretended to be asleep, or in pain, and she’d leave him alone. Most of the time, it was even true.

He _was_ in pain (physical, emotional, sometimes it was hard to tell the difference), and he couldn’t really muster the energy to do anything. Friday tried to get him interested in new projects, in things he needed to finish, but nothing held any appeal. He slept, he woke, he stared off into space, gritted his teeth against the pain, and then he started it all over again.

At some point, Rhodey came by – in a wheelchair. It broke Tony’s heart to see it. One more in the long list of his fuck-ups. He should have let Ross do whatever he wanted to those fucking traitors. He should never have lifted a single finger to help those ungrateful criminals. Because of him, innocent people had been hurt. People like Rhodey and the Task Force officers Rogers and Barnes had mowed through.

He could barely look at his friend. The guilt threatened to suffocate him.

It didn’t matter that Rhodey said it wasn’t his fault, Tony knew the truth. He had been too trusting, too _nice_. He had rolled over again and again, he’d lost himself. And now he didn’t know how to find anything anymore.

Rhodey tried. Pepper tried. Happy tried. Peter tried (and it only made Tony feel even more like shit for dragging the kid into that mess). It didn’t make any difference. Tony still couldn’t do anything but wallow in his own misery and guilt. He hated feeling like this, hated feeling so defeated, but there it was. Iron Man was out of commission, and not just because of his injuries – which were considerable.

Tony Stark was just _done_.

“Boss?” Friday said, sounding small.

Tony turned to find a more comfortable position in the bed, and didn’t reply.

“Boss?” she tried again. “There’s something I think you should see.”

“I don’t care if the world is ending, Friday,” Tony mumbled. “I’m tired, okay? And also _retired_. Iron Man is gone.” He just wanted to go back to sleep.

“The world isn’t ending, Boss. It’s not… It’s not about that. I just…” She trailed off, unsure, and Tony felt bad. It wasn’t her fault. She was so young and was trying so hard. Tony just… couldn’t deal with it anymore.

He couldn’t actually bring himself to say anything more.

“Hmm, so… hi.”

Tony startled at the unfamiliar voice and raised his head to see a holoscreen in front of the bed. There was a kid there, looking at the camera. It was a Youtube video.

The kid cleared his throat and gave an awkward smile. “So, yeah, hmm. Hi. My name is Derek. I’m 17 and I’m from Philadelphia.” He waved. Tony wondered what the hell this was about. “So, Mr Stark, I just wanted to say… That I hope you’re all right.”

Tony frowned and sat up, ignoring he slight twinge of pain.

On the screen, the boy continued. “I’ve been following the news and I know you were in the hospital and that you were released, but there’s been nothing else and… there’s some rumors that you’re badly hurt. I hope that’s not true. I hope you’re okay. Getting better, you know.” He paused, then seemed to steel himself to continue. “Anyway, you probably won’t see this, but… just in case, you know… I thought… well, I wanted you to know that I’m… rooting for you. I’m a big fan, you know. I’ve been a huge fan since… you know… forever. Geeky kid, you know?” He chuckled. “It’s nice to know you don’t have to be athletic to be cool, you know. You’ve always made being smart cool, and that’s pretty awesome. And then you became an actual superhero, you know… with like… real superpowers. I mean, not really, but… Like, you built the suit. That’s like having a superpower. And then you went out there to save people. From aliens and killer robots and stuff, and how cool is that?” The boy grinned, eyes sparkling. “What I’m trying to say is that you’re amazing, and I know I feel much safer knowing you’re there to take care of us, you know? So, hmm, take care of yourself and get well soon. I don’t really know what happened with this… Avenger Civil War business the media has been talking about… but I know I’m Team Iron Man all the way, ‘cause I know that you always fight for us. For, you know, the world and all. So, I wish you all the best. Bye.” Derek gave a last wave and a smile and the video was replaced by a still image of the Iron Man mask with words written in red and gold: #TonyStarkGetWellSoon #TeamIronMan #IronManIsAHero #IStandWithIronMan.

Before Tony could even process what he’d seen, a new video began to play. It was another boy, probably about the same age as Derek, wearing glasses and an Iron Man t-shirt.

“Hi Mr Stark. My name is Paul. I just wanted to say that you’re my hero, and not just because you’re Iron Man, though that’s pretty cool, of course. See, I’m a bit of a nerd, and I like building things. The kids at my school used to make fun of me, you know? Then last year I submitted a project for a science fair here in LA, where I live, which was sponsored by Stark Industries. I didn’t win first prize, but I got in the top ten, and I got this really cool letter.” He showed a letter Tony recognized. It was sent to everyone who participated in those kinds of programs. “It says here in the bottom that I should keep pursuing a career in engineering and wishes me the best of luck in future projects, and it’s signed ‘Tony Stark’. Now I know that you probably didn’t sign it yourself – I mean, when would you have the time, you’re probably way too busy for stuff like this – but I thought it was awesome and I showed it to everyone at school. And then there were less people making fun of me. Having a letter from Tony Stark made me cool, you know? So, thanks! Anyway, I know you’re going through a tough time with all this… Civil War stuff… and getting hurt, so… hmmm. I guess I just wanted to say that I think you’re awesome and I hope you get better soon. Bye!”

The same words from the other video appeared at the screen.

“Friday, what…?” Tony started, but the next video had already begun.

It was a woman this time, maybe in her forties. She had curly brown hair and was wearing a SI shirt, the kind all employees had.

“Hi, Mr Stark. My name is Claire Bass, I work at the SI office in DC, in the finance department. First I want to say that I love my job, and everyone at the office is thinking about you and wishing you a speedy recovery. But more than that… I wanted to say thank you. A couple of years ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and I was devastated. I’m divorced and have two kids and I had no idea what I was going to do. I was afraid of losing my job. But instead of being fired I got time off – with full pay – to do the treatment I needed, and when I finally got better, I was welcomed back with open arms.” Her eyes had filled with tears. “You have no idea how much that meant to me and my family. Now I’m cancer-free and my oldest has just gotten into college. I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t have happened if I worked at another company. I’ve certainly heard plenty of horror stories, so thank you. Thank you so much for making SI such a fantastic place to work. Please know that you’re in all our prayers.” The image changed to the lobby of the DC SI office. A whole lot of people were standing there holding signs in Iron Man colors. #GetWellSoon #TeamIronMan #SIStandsWithIronMan #TonyStarkIsAHero

“Get well soon, Tony!” The people yelled.

By the time the fourth video started, Tony was getting a little misty-eyed. (Okay, a _lot_.)

It was a college student. He was studying computer programming and his dream was to work at SI. “You’re my hero, Mr Stark. I’m sorry you got hurt and I hope you get better soon.”

Then it was two girls, ages 8 and 10, they said, who wanted to be engineers when they grew up. “You’re awesome, Mr Stark! Get well soon!”

Then a whole group of teenagers from a school in Atlanta. “Screw Captain America, Iron Man is the best! Get well soon, Mr Stark!”

Then a bunch of people wearing Air Force uniforms. Then navy, army, marines. “The armed forces of the US stand with you, Dr Stark. We appreciate all you’ve done for us, here and overseas. We wish you a speedy recovery.”

Video after video saying more or less the same thing – that they thought Tony was a hero and wished him well. Some had more personal messages, mostly nerdy kids who said Tony inspired them or made them feel less alone. There was even one from the flight crew of Air Force One, who thanked him for saving their lives. There were messages from SI employees from all over the world.

Tony lost track of how many videos he watched. There seemed to be no end of them. Clearly the idea had spread and become a trending topic in all forms of social media. Aside from the videos there were also posts on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and the like. Obviously some people were just doing it because it was trending, but most seemed truly sincere.

Some people were even denouncing Rogers as a terrorist and a criminal.

And Tony sat through it all, watching videos and reading posts, silent tears rolling down his face.

He had no idea so many people actually _liked_ him. Sure, he knew he had fans, but this seemed… more. More personal, more… genuine. These people had no expectation that Tony himself would ever see any of these videos, yet they took the time to record a message for him, a message of solidarity and support. These people didn’t even know the full story, but they believed in him anyway. They didn’t know him and they believed that, whatever happened, he had been trying to do the right thing – something those traitors that used to call themselves Avengers couldn’t do. These people actually _cared_ about Tony – about his health and well-being.

Wiping his face with the sleeve of his shirt, Tony got up for the first time in days, feeling invigorated.

He wasn’t going to let fucking Steve Rogers and his sycophant friends get him down. Not anymore.

Iron Man was back in business. And so was Tony Fucking Stark.

Those assholes wouldn’t know what hit them.

But first things first.

Tony went to the bathroom and got himself as presentable as he could be under the circumstances. He showered, changed into clean and comfortable clothes, applied a little makeup to hide the dark circles under his eyes – and his general paleness –, and squared his shoulders. It was far from his usual immaculate look, but it would do. Then he went to the kitchen to make himself a sandwich. He hadn’t eaten properly in days, and now he found he was starved.

“Boss?” Friday asked once he was finished.

“Fri, tell Pepper and Rhodey I want to talk to them. Tonight, if they can make it. We’ve got work to do.”

“Sure. Message sent.”

“Good. Get the lab ready.”

“It’s waiting for you as always, Boss.” Her tone was definitely happier now.

Tony took a few deep breaths when he entered the lab, letting the smell and feel of it wash over him. This was his home, his sanctuary, and no one was going to take it away from him.

He sat at his usual work station and pulled up multiple screens to do a quick check on everything he had had missed while he’d been wallowing in misery. The barely scribbled schematics for Rhodey’s braces would be his priority, he decided. Then he’d deal with the fallout from this stupid Civil War. And he was going to bury Rogers and his minions so deeply they’d never see the light of day again.

“Fri, get me a camera and take out the background.”

Friday complied, and Tony inspected himself from the camera’s point of view. He still looked a little pale, but that was fine. He was recovering, after all.

“Start recording.”

A red light went on and Tony began.

“Hi there. I’d like to thank everyone for the kind videos and posts wishing me well. As you can see, I’m okay. Well, not okay, but… I’m getting there. I know people have a lot of questions about what happened with the Avengers, how I got hurt and all of that. I want to assure you that all your questions will be answered shortly. I have always believed in transparency and honesty, and I have nothing to hide. So I will be calling for a press conference in a few days, now that I’m feeling better, to address the issue and answer any questions from the public and the authorities.” He took a deep breath and let his shoulders sag a little. “Truth is, I have been in a bit of a funk this past couple of weeks. It wasn’t just my injuries, but…” he waved a hand “the whole situation that was getting me down. And seeing your messages of support really helped me. You guys helped to remind me why I’m doing this in the first place, why this is important. Why it’s bigger than who is right and who is wrong. Why The Accords are necessary and why superheroes need to be held accountable. So thank you for that very necessary kick in the ass. Thank you to Derek, Paul, Claire, Nick, Sophie and Sarah, the kids from Wickfield High, everyone from all SI offices around the world, the guys from the Air Force, the Navy, the Army, the Marines, the nice folks in Chesterfield, the flight crew from Air Force One, Donna and Laura, Peter and Judy, Michael, the Bronsons, the Millers, the kids from Bellecreed Elementary, the folks from the Starbucks near the Tower, the guys from the Tigers football team, the kids in the Jules baseball little league, Barry and Mitchel, the girls from the Kritch soccer team.” Tony went on, naming as many people as he could remember from the videos and posts he’d seen –he had a very good memory when he wanted to and he’d watched a _lot_ of videos, so it took a while (some hadn’t said their names, so he described them instead). By the time he was done, he was all misty-eyed again, and he didn’t bother disguising it.

“Right, so…” he said, taking a bit of a break to regain his composure a little. “Thanks, everyone. Your support really means a lot, and I hope I won’t let you down. Best wishes to all of you. And again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Iron Man will be back shortly, I promise.” He smiled and nodded to Friday, who ended the recording.

“What do you want me to do with the video, Boss?” she asked.

“Post it to all my social media platforms.”

“Uploading it now. Would you like me to keep track of responses?”

“Yes, thanks.”

Tony slumped in his chair. Though he felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders, he was still tired. As much as he wanted to get back to work, he knew it wouldn’t be good for his health to push it too far now. He would need his energy for everything he had to do from now on.

With a sense of accomplishment and new hope, Tony went back to bed.

“Friday, wake me up when Pepper and Rhodey get here, will you? Oh, and get Vision to come as well, if he wants to.”

“Sure thing, Boss. It’s good to see you getting back on your feet.”

Tony smiled. “Yeah. It’s good to be back. And Friday?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

“No problem, Boss. I’m always here for you.”

*****

The next afternoon, Tony stood before a sea of journalists, Rhodey and Vision on one side and Pepper on the other. They had talked for a long time the previous night to organize their strategy going forward. Tony had finally told them everything that had happened in Siberia, and had gotten their full support and sympathy in giving Rogers and his minions everything they deserved. Pepper in particular had gotten that dangerous glint in her eyes that meant she was about to go on the war path.

Tony Stark and Iron Man were, of course, still the trending topic on all social media platforms, getting even more visibility after his response video. Although Tony was familiar with social media, he had never really thought of it as a useful tool before, but now he was well aware of how much he could do with it – and he was going to take full advantage of it.

“Thank you all for coming,” he said once everyone was ready to start. “I know there’s been a lot of speculation about the events of the so-called Civil War, and not a lot in the way of answers so far, so I’m here today to give you a rundown of what happened, and then I’ll take questions.”

Tony told the whole truth. He talked about how he had found out about the disaster in Lagos, and how he had tried to mitigate the aftermath. He talked about the Accords, his involvement in it and his unwavering belief that they were necessary, even though the current document was far from perfect. He talked about the meeting at the Avengers Compound and how Rogers and Wilson had dismissed the whole idea out of hand. While he tried to stick to the facts as much as possible, he also made it clear that he did not agree with Rogers’s words. He told the audience that he would be providing a recording of the meeting to the media and relevant authorities, should they wish to see for themselves. He talked about Rogers leaving in the middle of the meeting to go to Peggy Carter’s funeral. He talked about the bombing in Vienna, and his conversation with Rogers in Berlin. He talked about the Winter Soldier escaping the facility, and the deal he made with Ross so that the remaining Avengers would be the ones to bring the rogues in. He talked about Maximoff leaving the Compound along with Barton and what they did to Vision, adding that Vision himself could answer questions about that later – and that he had the security footage available for review. He talked about the fight at the airport, stressing his team’s non-lethal approach to it, in sharp contrast with the others. Again, he made sure to say that there was video of the whole thing. He talked about Romanoff switching sides and explained how Rhodey had been injured. He talked about going to the Raft – and its murky legal standing – to get more information once he realized there was more to the bombing than he had first believed.

Then he talked about Siberia. He didn’t really want to, but he knew it was necessary. He had covered for the others for too long, and it had apparently given them the idea that they could do whatever they wanted. As painful as it was, Tony spoke about seeing the video of the murder of his parents, Roger’s admission that he knew about it and the subsequent fight. He admitted to throwing the first punch, and admitted that he had wanted to hurt Rogers and Barnes, though he acknowledged that Barnes was not truly responsible for what Hydra had brainwashed him into doing. He recounted the fight as best as he remembered it, and how it had ended with him being left behind in a broken suit while Rogers and Barnes walked away.

He talked about waiting for someone to come to his rescue, not knowing if whoever it was would make it in time, then waking up in the hospital. He gave a list of his injuries and praised the medical team that had saved his life.

He finished by once again thanking the people who had used the #GetWellSoon hashtag on social media for their support and encouragement.

There was an uneasy silence after he was done, and it gave Tony the chance to sit down and rest. He drank some water and waited for the avalanche of questions to begin.

Rhodey and Vision took the first few to give Tony a little more time to recompose himself. The worst was over, he thought. He could do this. He _needed_ to do this. Those traitors weren’t going to get away with anything anymore. All their dirty laundry was going to be splashed all over the media for the whole world to see. First it was going to be this Civil War business, then Wanda’s murky past and Rogers’s screw up with the data dump. Most people had no idea what had really happened, but Tony was going to make sure every stupid decision and every arrogant thought came to light. Captain America’s reputation was going to be utterly destroyed.

Eventually Tony was asked a question.

“Mr Stark, what is going to happen to the rest of the Avengers now?”

“I don’t know. I know that arrest warrants have been issued for Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, Wanda Maximoff, Clint Barton, James Barnes, Scott Lang and Natasha Romanoff. As of now, they are wanted for questioning on suspicion of a very long list of crimes by international authorities and the Counter-Terrorist Task Force. When they are apprehended, they will likely be tried for these crimes. Until then, they are fugitives from justice and no longer Avengers. I will also be pressing charges against Rogers and Romanoff for obstruction of justice and accessory after the fact in the matter of the murder of my parents.”

Tony wondered what those assholes would think when they saw this. Would this be enough to open their eyes to the reality of their actions? Or would they still clung to denial and the idea that they were heroes? Would Rogers get blamed or would they find a way to make it all Tony’s fault (as usual)? He hoped they would start fighting among themselves, maybe even stabbing each other in the back. If he had to guess, he’d say Romanoff would be the first to jump ship and try to save herself, followed by Barton. Wilson might stick with Rogers for a while – the man had a massive blind spot and boner where ‘Cap’ was concerned – but even _he_ might wake up and smell the roses at some point. It was Rogers who was the biggest unknown. Would he admit he fucked up? Would he admit to being less than perfect? Probably not. The man’s identity was too tied up into being a hero for him to give it up.

“What about Maximoff?”

“We will turn over everything we have on her and let the authorities decide what to charge her with. Aside from the assault on Vision and the property destruction of the Compound, of course.”

Surprisingly, the press conference went pretty well. There were only one or two Cap fanatics who accused Tony of being anti-patriotic, and they were easily ignored. Most of the journalist focused on the facts presented and what could be expected from the aftermath, with some requests from clarifications here and there.

Rhodey called an end to it after a couple of hours, since Tony was still recovering and needed to rest.

Later that night, Iron Man was once again a trending topic. The hashtags, however, changed a little. Aside from the #GetWellSoon and #IStandWithIronMan (and its variations) tags, several new ones popped up: #JusticeForTheStarks, #CapIsATerrorist, #RogueAvengersInJail, #JusticeForWarMachine, #JusticeForVision, #RogersIsATraitor, and others of that nature. Once again, Tony was touched by people’s concern for his health and well-being. He watched some videos of people being utterly outraged by everything and expressing their sympathy for his loss and the betrayals he’d suffered.

“Fri, get the camera ready. I want to record a new video.”

When the camera started rolling, Tony began.

“Hi, everyone. I want to thank you all again for your support and good wishes. It’s been tough, these last few weeks, but I’m getting better. Talking about what happened was a huge relief. A weight off my shoulders, you know? I’m sure there are conspiracy theorists out there who probably think I’m lying, but I’m not. I have video evidence to prove everything I said. And now that the truth is out there, I feel much better.

“I know I’m not perfect. I know I’ve made mistakes, but lately I was starting to think that I could never do anything right, and that’s not true. You all have shown me that I _have_ been doing good – a lot more than I had realized. I never set out to be a role model or anything like that. I never even set out to be a hero. I just… did what I thought was right. But apparently I have sort of become those things. It’s a little scary, to be honest. I hope I can live up to the faith you have put in me. Right now, I’m going to focus on my health, and then I’ll be back to work. There’s a lot of things that I want to do, and I think I’ll be able to accomplish a lot more now that I don’t have a lot of back-stabbers and leeches mooching off me. So, thanks again and I’ll see you all soon. Stay safe, everyone.” Tony smiled at the camera, a real happy smile.

He was going to be okay. He wasn’t alone. Not by a long shot.

**Author's Note:**

> There may or may not be more of this. Time (and the muses) will tell.  
> Hope you liked it. Let me know what you think. :)


End file.
